My latest story is still very much in the planning stages but I feel like I need to get down the naming trends and style of the fantasy world it’s set in, starting with the protagonist, of course.
I won’t go into detail about the story but it’s set in an alternate world. [name_u]Magic[/name_u] is harvested from the earth and sold or traded like any other resource, and this world is filled with many strange sights, from fantastical creatures to talking plants to floating buildings.
My main concern at the moment is the protagonist’s name. He is 19, a sort of adventurous, head-in-the-clouds, too-brave-for-his-own-good type who’s a bit naive about the darker parts of the world and human nature. He’s something of a social outcast and at the beginning of the story is breaking out of a very controlling life that he’s been forced into. For some reason the letter Z jumps out at me for him, and I was thinking he’d have a longer name that he goes by a shortened version of (that’s not set in stone, though). I would like to use names that are real names but maybe more out-there ones for this world. Natural sounding names would be cool but I’m absolutely not set on it. Nothing unpronounceable please. If possible I’d like some ideas both for him specifically and just some names for possible other characters, both male and female, so I can start building a list to pull from for other characters.
I feel I should also mention that the female lead is currently named Sorrel, though that may change. It’s more of something I like that popped into my head than something that is meant to fit her AND the world so it’s not for sure yet.
Thank you everybody.
I like [name_u]Sorrel[/name_u]! It’s pretty and unique
Here’s some ideas for the protagonist:
Jetterson instead of the ever common [name_m]Jefferson[/name_m]. Nickname Jettrey or [name_m]Jett[/name_m]/[name_u]Jet[/name_u]
[name_m]Renaldo[/name_m] nickname [name_u]Ren[/name_u]
[name_m]Raymond[/name_m] nn [name_u]Ray[/name_u]
[name_u]Everest[/name_u] nn Rest, [name_u]Ever[/name_u], [name_f]Eve[/name_f] (I know it’s a girl’s name but I kinda like it for a guy)
[name_f]Shadow[/name_f]
Thalen
[name_u]Hunter[/name_u]
[name_u]Rain[/name_u]
A nickname doesn’t have to be because of a given name. Maybe [name_m]Steve[/name_m]'s friends call him [name_m]Trip[/name_m] because he’s clumsy. Maybe [name_m]Matthew[/name_m] is in a secret club where they pick code-names so he’s called [name_u]Storm[/name_u]. Maybe the government gives [name_m]John[/name_m] the name [name_u]Harper[/name_u] when he turns eighteen because every eighteen year-old gets a new name by law. Be creative. Have fun.
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] I helped 
Good luck!
I adore the name [name_u]Sorrel[/name_u] for a female character and I feel as though [name_m]Ezra[/name_m] might be a pretty good fit for your protagonist. It incorporates the ‘z’ without feeling too harsh and unnatural.
[name_m]Zach[/name_m] or [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] is a stronger sounding name and therefore might be well suited for a protagonist as well as beginning with a Z.
[name_u]Jay[/name_u] is also quite a subtle nature name, though still common enough not to feel awkward when read.
Again, sticking with the J, maybe [name_m]Jethro[/name_m]?
But if you were looking for something a little softer to go with his head-in-the-clouds trait, I think [name_m]Rafferty[/name_m] (Raffa) would be brilliant. It has a more ‘magical’ quality to it.
[name_f]Hope[/name_f] you find your perfect name and good luck with the story!
I think [name_m]Zachary[/name_m] nn [name_m]Zack[/name_m] could work and [name_u]Sorrel[/name_u] could work for the female lead, or [name_u]Raven[/name_u].
[name_m]Thorn[/name_m] (but not [name_m]Thor[/name_m]) or maybe [name_m]Odin[/name_m]. Or a simple short made-up name like Neph (pronounced Neff).
Maybe [name_m]Zander[/name_m]?